Major CalMac ferry Hebrides hits gearbox fault causing disruption to multiple routes
Knock-on impact to continue until at least Sunday in latest problem to hit west coast operator
Disruption to CalMac passengers across multiple routes will continue until at least Sunday after one of its large ferries suffered gearbox problems while undergoing its annual overhaul.
The 26-year-old Hebrides, which was due back in service last Saturday, remained docked in Leith with its repair timescale “currently unknown”.
It comes as the latest of a series of headaches for CalMac which have plagued the start of its summer season over the last few weeks.
Up to ten vessels - nearly one third of its fleet - were out of action due to repairs or scheduled maintenance.
The latest fault means other ferries which were moved around CalMac’s west coast network to cover Hebrides’ absence will need to continue their temporary redeployments.
This has reduced capacity on some routes, while bookings have had to be suspended on others, to the frustration of islanders and visitors.
Hebrides, which can carry 600 passengers and 90 cars, was due to take over the Little Minch triangle routes between Skye, Harris and North Uist on Saturday but Clansman will now continue to cover those sailings instead.
In turn, Clansman will be unable to return to the Oban to Coll and Tiree routes, which Isle of Mull is handling.
Isle of Mull should have returned to the main Mull route but a reduced service being operated by Coruisk and Loch Frisa will now continue.
CalMac said as a result, the Mallaig to Armadale in Skye route would continue to be handled by two charter vessels in place of Coruisk, one of which cannot carry vehicles.
The Mull and Iona Ferry Committee, which represents passengers, said the disruption was having a significant impact on the islands’ economy and health services.
Chair Joe Reade said: “This is just so very frustrating. It seems that we can’t count on which ferry we will get until we actually see it berth.
“Our hospitality industry desperately needs stability and for the endless flood of CalMac bad news stories to end.
“One hotel on Mull reports it has lost £100,000 in bookings in just the past month. That’s one hotel, on one island, in on month.
“The owner of an island construction firm is at his wits’ end.
“He had just been reassuring his subbies that the Mull service would be restored from Wednesday and they should travel with confidence to jobs on the island - and then we get another delay to the return of our ferry that puts all his plans up in the air.
“Add to that the personal impact, In particular, our local health services report that many people have had to cancel out-patient appointments and even surgery.”
However, Mr Reade added: “Despite the frustrations, things are getting better.
“Once the Hebrides is back in the fleet - and the other vessels that should return from unplanned work soon - the service should be in a much better place.
“So to everyone who has a summer holiday planned in the Hebrides - don’t be deterred.”
A CalMac spokesperson said: “Hebrides’ return to service has been delayed after an issue was identified with the vessel’s starboard [right] gearbox during post-overhaul commissioning.
“The gearbox was overhauled by the original equipment manufacturer as part of the planned programme of work for Hebrides’ dry dock, and the issue arose during routine run-in testing over the weekend.
“We are liaising with the manufacturer on next steps.
“With the timescales for repairs currently unknown and to provide certainty to customers, the intention is to extend the current deployment plan until Sunday.”
Meantime, CalMac said another of its large ferries which was undergoing repair, Lord of the Isles, is due to leave dry dock at Inchgreen in Greenock on Tuesday.
It said: “Deployment plans for her will be reviewed based on network-wide requirements considering the delay to Hebrides.”
Another of CalMac’s major vessels, Isle of Lewis, will be out of action until the end of May for steelwork repairs.
CalMac chief executive Duncan Mackison had said last Thursday that the impending return of Hebrides and Lord of the Isles “allows us to provide all communities with a level of certainty for the next month.
“Though we are not out of the woods yet, we’re in a relatively stable position and are hopeful that things will continue to improve.”
Elsewhere, CalMac’s new Arran ferry Glen Sannox has successfully completed port berthing trials at Oban and Castlebay enabling it to temporarily take over the Barra route.
That in turn will allow the operator’s newest vessel, Isle of Islay, to return from Barra to the Islay route which which it was built.
Arran is being served by the chartered catamaran from Troon and Caledonian Isles from Ardrossan.
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